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Living in Cali- Colombia is an opportunity that I am happy to have experienced in my life. As someone born and raised in Los Angeles Cali-fornia, the city life is something that I am very familiar with, but unlike Los Angeles, in the city of Cali you wake up to the sound of wild parrots flying overhead each morning! When I recently arrived I was puzzled to hear an unfamiliar call each night, I thought to myself that it was strange that a bird would be calling/singing at night. To my surprise, I was told it was not a bird- it was a non-native gecko (Lepididactylus lugubris)! Since then, I try to catch a glimpse of the little geckos, but they are very shy and my excitement for them is not appreciated.

The first bird that I identified from outside my host families living room window was the very noisy great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus). The great kiskadee is a large flycatcher, a very beautiful and common bird here in Cali. Just like the varied thrushes’ songs bring my nostalgia for my time in Cordova- Alaska, I know the sound of the great kiskadee will be the bird that reminds me of my time here in the city of Cali. Aside from the great kisadee, there are numerous other species that I have never seen in my life that I frequently observe in the city, as I walk to work at the Calidris Associations office. The ruddy ground dove (Columbina talpacoti) is a small New World tropical dove that fascinates me every time I see it. Not only because it reminds me of the doves of my city, but due to its size! These little doves, just like the least sandpipers I saw in Cordova, trigger an amusement due to their size, measuring about 17 cm (~6.7 in) in length! Other common birds that I see in the city are blue-gray tanagers (Thraupis episcopus), saffron finchs (Sicalis flaveola), vermilion flycatchers (Pyrocephalus rubinus), and smooth-billed anis (Crotophaga ani)

It’s a whole new ball game when you step out of the city. I had the opportunity to do so this weekend and wow, I am speechless! The amount of diversity and beauty exceeds that of my childhood dreams. My dreams that were derived from books and documentaries based in Colombia- South America were now my reality. Accompanying me was Jeisson who works as a biological field technician with Calidris and is an amazing birder, and Jo Se a biologist and friend of Jeisson’s. Throughout our 7 hour birding adventure Jeisson made sure to document all of our bird encounters. We came to a total of 62 species, of which 61 of these species were new to me (lifers). I share with you a few photographs that I took of my lifers:

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Thank you for reading and stay tuned to hear about my adventure with Calidris during their first every Rail Rally in Colombia!

I was initially really nervous about how cold it would be here in Alaska, but I have been surprised how fast I have been adjusting to the weather change. Since I arrived to Cordova, Alaska two weeks ago, I have witnessed snow storms, wind storms, and sunny days too! I have never lived in an environment like Alaska, but I have realized that I LOVE SNOW, and small town Cordova!

The past few days working with the USDA Forest Service have been intense! My days consisted of completing online training courses (getting certified to drive a federal vehicle, traveling on planes and air boats, and being prepared for the outdoors) and helping my supervisor Melissa, a wildlife biologist, organize for the field season. As I complete my training requirements and help prepare, my excitement grows for the months to come!

I have also been busy working on preparing and promoting our annual Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival that will take place May 8-11, 2014! The Copper River Delta is the LARGEST contiguous wetland on the Pacific coast in North America. As a key coastal wetland and critical habitat in Alaska, it is visited by up to 5-million shorebirds that stop to rest and feed during their annual spring migration! I invite you all to visit, or add this festival to your bucket list!

Here are some fliers I made for the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival: